


Of Stardust and Rogues

by hufflepuff



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Backstory, F/M, I like writing backstory so there's a lot of that, POV Multiple, Rebelcaptain - Freeform, Rogue One Spoilers, Sassy K-2SO, Slow Romance, These characters deserve a happy ending, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:16:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9214523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflepuff/pseuds/hufflepuff
Summary: All characters and events are property of Lucasfilm and Star Wars - I own nothing. :}Jyn Erso has spent her entire life on her own, running from threat after threat, never having a place to belong. Now she's rebelling against the Rebel Alliance, on a suicide mission to steal the Death Star plans. Only now, for the first time in her life, she has the support of friends.Cassian Andor can't remember a time before he was fighting for the Rebel Alliance. When he forms an alliance with Jyn Erso, his life gets a hundred times more dangerous... and a hundred times better, although he won't admit it. Now they just need to survive the mission on Scarif.Starts at the Scarif mission and goes through the end of Rogue One. Everyone lives. Chapters from the main characters' POV and lots of backstory. Not sure where the plot is going exactly, but it will have lots of fluff. Eventual Baze Malbus/Chirrut Îmwe.





	1. Never Tell Me the Odds

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so please be merciful. 
> 
> Chapter titles will be quotes from the original Star Wars movies. 
> 
> I wanted to write Rogue One with a happy ending, and decided to start at the battle of Scarif. Everyone lives. Future chapters will be from other characters' POV, and there will be some backstory. Might be a little slow-moving because I want to spend lots of time with these characters. I promise they will all make it out alive. :}
> 
> Sorry if this chapter has a few too many flashbacks. I wanted to get a firm understanding of Jyn's head before proceeding. :)

Jyn knew there was a huge chance she wouldn't make it out alive. As the stolen Empire ship descended through Scarif's shield, she briefly wondered if she was insane, then decided there was no question about it.

Stealing the Death Star plans was a suicide mission. That was why the Council had forbidden it, after all. Too risky, too near impossible. Stealing plans from right under the Empire's noses? When you put any thought into it, it just sounded stupid.

The ship jolted, and Jyn put a hand on the rough metal wall to brace herself. She pushed the hair back from her face, tucking in a hairpin that was protruding from the bun at the nape of her neck. She looked out the window at the swiftly approaching ground, marveling at the ease with which Bodhi Rook, the pilot of the newly christened Rogue One, navigated the atmosphere. 

It was a dreamland, with whitewashed beaches caressed by cerulean waves sweeping along the watery surface of the planet. Jyn could picture herself curling up under one of the palm trees and watching the waves crash onto the beach. Maybe in another universe, another lifetime. Maybe her parents would have joined her. She imagined her younger self splashing through the water, giggling hysterically as her father swung her around and plopped her down in the ocean. Imagined her mother, Lyra, chasing her playfully until Jyn tripped and fell in the sand, and then Lyra scooping her up and making sure she was all right. She bit her lip. She had never experienced anything like that. For as long as she could remember, she had just been hiding - hiding with her parents on a secluded planet, making a living farming. Not a bad lifestyle, but under different circumstances, things could have turned out so differently. 

For now, she couldn't think about what her life might have been. She had to focus on the mission at hand. The mission with so small a chance of success. If this were a question on a test, she would have answered that the odds were ridiculous and they should turn around and return to base. She would have given that advice to somebody else. But she couldn't bring herself to have the same level of concern for her own life. She wouldn't ask someone to make a sacrifice that she herself wasn't willing to make. 

The Rebel Alliance was more important than her. It was bigger than any one person. Sacrifices had to be made.

She swallowed hard, aware of the lump in her throat, probably nerves or nostalgia from thinking about her parents or maybe a little of both. 

Her companions were shuffling around the ship, nobody making much of an attempt at conversation. Jyn looked at them, at the sea of uniforms and weapons and men willing to die for the Alliance. The lump in her throat refused to go away. She felt unworthy of leading them. They were following her - they were here because of her. Well, because of her and Cassian, since he had found the troupe of them. But this was her responsibility. She was the one who had brought the idea to the Council, only to have it ultimately vetoed. 

Then, miraculously, she had found her group of rogues. A group of people who believed in her. A group of people who thought she had the right idea. They had to steal the Death Star plans if there was any hope of keeping the Alliance alive. The trouble was that without the Council's permission, it was pretty much near impossible to do anything. They didn't have enough backup. Ten men, a pilot, and a droid in addition to Cassian and Jyn didn't make for very good odds.

As the ship rocked back and forth precariously, Jyn considered again the possibility she had known all along. She probably wasn't going to leave this planet again.

The odds were just insurmountable.

Bodhi veered right, crashing through a copse of trees as he made his descent. He was the best pilot around, the best pilot in the Alliance, and Jyn felt a rush of gratitude that at least they had someone experienced. Then a wave of guilt swept through her. The best pilot in the Alliance was on a suicide mission with her. What gave her the right to order people to march to their death? Nobody should have that right.

It wasn't so bad, dying for the Alliance. There were worse ways to die than going out with a bang for a cause you believed in. Jyn could see the memory clearly of her mother crumping to the ground, life fading instantly from her eyes. The way Galen had run to her, desperate to save her, knowing it was already too late. The blaster had gone straight through her heart. (Who ever said that Stormtroopers couldn't shoot?) Lyra had sacrificed herself for the cause. Galen had spent his entire life fighting for it. He made himself into the enemy just so he could infiltrate from the inside. Her parents had displayed impossible courage, so much that Jyn had sometimes feared she would never live up to it.

She had spent her entire life on her own, running from thing after thing, never having a place to belong. Now that she had finally found something to fight for, it seemed only right that it, too, would be taken from her. Fair, somehow. 

She would die for the Rebel Alliance, but her stomach lurched at the thought of taking all these people with her. She couldn't be responsible for the loss of so many lives. The moment you decided who lived and who died was the moment you became as bad as the Empire.


	2. Somebody Has to Save Our Skins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments and kudos on the first chapter! It's very encouraging to hear that you want to read more.
> 
> I forgot to put this as a note for the first chapter, but obligatory statement that I own nothing and all characters and events are property of Lucasfilm and Star Wars. (Even if they don't know how to properly treat their characters... *ahem*)
> 
> Chapter title is a quote from Princess Leia from Episode IV. In honor of Carrie Fisher. <3
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated! :)

A mechanical voice crackled through the speaker, jerking Jyn out of her reverie. 

"Rogue One, please engage landing gear for landing pad two," it instructed.

"Copy that," said Bodhi, holding the radio to his mouth. He maneuvered the ship expertly, threading it through a grove of palm trees to the exposed sand of the landing pad. There was a building nearby with a large door that slid up and down to allow stormtroopers to enter and exit. Jyn eyed it with trepidition, not wanting to consider how quickly the ship could be flooded with hostile troopers, blasters ready to fire. They could all be taken out faster than she could say "kyber crystal." Goodbye, Rogue One.

But that wouldn't happen if they stuck to the plan.

She steeled herself. Everything would be worth it if they could get the Death Star plans and transmit them to the Alliance. To do that, they needed to draw the stormtroopers out and away from the central structure. Then she, Cassian, and K-2SO could find them with less interruptions, to put it politely. To do that, they needed...

"Listen up," she said, and all heads turned her way. "You all know how dangerous this is. I don't have to tell you that." The grim expressions of all the rebels told her she was right. "You know it's entirely possible we... that we won't come back to the Alliance. This could be it."

A few terse nods. They were probably thinking, Why are you telling us what we already know?

"But you also know how important this is. You know that this could turn the tide. This is the one thing that could swing the war in our favor, can help us win the fight that's been going on for far too long." 

Jyn glanced over at Cassian, and she could see her pain reflected in his gaze. He had been fighting since he was six years old. What must that be like? At six years old, Jyn had been in hiding with Galen and Lyra, but she had loving parents who would do, and had done, anything for her. She had started fighting young, but at least she had more years of childhood than Cassian. It was a miracle he still had anything resembling sanity. 

"It's more important than any one of us," she said. "If we die, we die fighting. We die knowing that because of us, the Rebel Alliance lives another day."

She paused, taking a minute to collect her thoughts and put them into words properly. If there was one thing she had learned from watching the Empire, it was that the right speech could rally a group of people into action. "I know it seems hopeless," she said. "But we go out fighting. We give it everything we have, and we take the next chance, and the next, until all the chances are spent. It's as simple as that."

The mood was shifting inside the ship, changing from resignition and fear to a kind of muted hope, like they were optimistic in spite of themselves. 

Jyn gripped her blaster more tightly, running her finger over the safety in contemplation of what she would have to do before the end of the day. If she even made it to the end of the day. "This is a rebellion," she said. "We rebel."

It was cheesy, a little stupid-sounding, but nearly the perfect catchphrase for this group of rogues. They were rebelling against the Rebel Alliance. Did that make her a rebel squared? 

She wanted to thank them for what they were doing, but she didn't have the words. And really, could there ever be words that sufficiently thanked someone for dying for a cause? There was nothing she could say. It was better left unspoken. She hoped that her speech conveyed even a fraction of the gratitude she felt - gratitude that she didn't have to do this alone, gratitude that there were still people in the world who cared about her. Who believed in her. 

K-2SO interrupted: "Excuse me." Irritated, Jyn's gaze snapped to the hulking droid, tarnished after the various fights he had been through. He stared at her with those bulbous sensors on the front of his face. She could only imagine what thoughts were going through his droid skull, as he had taken a dislike to Jyn since the first time they met. (To be fair, she had knocked several of his comrades unconscious as she tried valiantly to escape being rescued.) 

"This is all very motivational and inspiring," said the droid, "but I fail to see how sentiments will help us bypass the Empire's defenses."

Jyn had never thought a droid could be so snarky. Clearly whatever rebel had reprogrammed K-2 was having some fun. Jyn would have liked to have a word with said rebel, because of all the ways she envisioned this day going, arguing with a droid was not high on her list of priorities.

"The plan?" she said. "It's simple. Captain Andor, K-2, and myself will infiltrate the central hub." She gestured out the window to the sprawling expanse of buildings below. They were strewn across the islands, clustering around one larger, central building in a way that made it clear the center building was the important one. "See that in the middle? That's where most of their data will be stored. Once we get inside, it's just a matter of locating the main data storage unit and locating the Death Star plans. We'll extract the files and return here, to the ship."

"How will you know where to find the files?" Jyn couldn't see who had asked this question, but it came from a man somewhere in the back of the group. 

This, of course, was where her carefully laid out plan came down to luck, which she always preferred to avoid. A good plan never relied on chance. But this whole mission was a risky chance. "That's why we have K-2," she answered. "He's a repurposed Imperial droid. He'll be able to hack into the mainframe." She looked at the droid, who was staring back at her. She hated that he was expressionless, so she couldn't tell if he was displeased with her plan or just mulling it over. 

"I fail to see - " started the droid.

Jyn decided to talk right over him. "The rest of you will be drawing the stormtroopers out from the central building. There will only be three of us in there, and we can't fight off that many. K-2, how many stormtroopers do you think we can hold off at one time?"

K-2 looked from Jyn to Cassian. The captain had been watching this whole speech intently, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. Now he regarded the droid with an air of mild curiosity, and jerked his head toward Jyn as if to say, "You should answer her." K-2's head swiveled back to her. He finished whatever ridiculously complicated calculation and said, "The odds of your survival drop to 0% when faced with more than 32 stormtroopers." 

Jyn nodded. She liked to think they could take down a lot of stormtroopers, but it would be stupid to go on a blind killing spree when there were so many Empire fighters to take the fallen stormtroopers' places. They were ridiculously outnumbered and so it was important that there was as little resistance as possible. 

"You heard him," she said, addressing the group. "When our odds drop to 0%, that means the Alliance's odds do too. We need those plans. So keep those stormtroopers away from us." 

Cassian was nodding. Jyn felt a surge of warmth at his approval. She knew they didn't have long before stormtroopers came onboard to inspect, knew soon they would be fighting for their lives and for thousands, maybe millions of others. 

She was glad to have him by her side. She couldn't shake the feeling that he had come to mean more to her than just an ally; in fact, he was possibly her first friend in a decade. Being shuttled from work camp to work camp didn't leave much time for chatting with the other prisoners, but now she had a whole group of them. Chirrut Imwe, Bodhi Rook, and Baze Malbus had come to mean more to her than she cared to admit. Friendship was a weakness. Anything good could be used against you, and she had long ago come to regard it thusly, as something to be avoided.

But sometimes, when Captain Andor met her eyes, her stomach did a little flip and she had to quickly look away. She didn't want to think about how she felt about him, not in the middle of a war. This wasn't the time for getting sentimental. 

"Sergeant Erso," said Bodhi, his attention fixed on the window ahead of him. His hands were clenched on the controls. "We're cleared for landing."


	3. No Match For a Good Blaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter title is a quote from Han Solo, Episode IV. Also, I hope you don't mind that we haven't gotten to the "action" yet. I don't much like fight scenes, I'm planning to skim over the battle scenes a bit, because I prefer scenes like this where you can have more character development and conversations. I had fun writing this bit from Cassian's POV. Rebelcaptain for life! :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated!

Cassian rifled through the pile of blasters, making sure they were in working condition. Some of them were battered and looked like they had been through the mill. Such was the downside of swiping weapons from dead stormtroopers. 

He picked up one that was encrusted with a dark substance, and it began to flake off in his hands. He recoiled, not wanting to imagine where it had come from. Maybe at some point in his life he would have just found another blaster and left the blood-encrusted one for another unfortunate rebel. Maybe his younger self would have found the blood too much to handle. But now he merely picked absentmindedly at the stuff, flicking it onto the ground. It was a serviceable weapon, in perfect working order.

If he had learned anything from his twenty plus years in the rebellion, it was that rebels couldn't afford to be picky.

He heard the clanking sounds of his droid coming to stand beside him. K-2SO was not the stealthiest of companions. "Sir," said the droid, "we have just made our landing. It would be advisable for you and the rest of your allies to hide."

Cassian flipped the blaster into his other hand and hooked it on his belt. "Thank you, K-2," he said. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

The droid took another clanking step toward him, trying to work out whether or not Cassian was being sarcastic. "I'm not sure I understand," he said. "Your mission objective is to avoid detection by the stormtroopers for as long as possible. Standing in plain sight seems to interfere with that objective."

"I'm kidding, K-2," Cassian said, smirking slightly at the droid's confusion. "I thought you were reprogrammed with more sarcasm than that." 

He scanned the ship, locating Jyn at the other side. She was looking out the window surreptitiously, her clenched fists the only sign she was nervous. Her speech had rallied the troops quite effectively, giving no clue that she could be having second thoughts about the mission, but it was quite plausible that she was. It was easily the riskiest, stupidest mission Cassian had ever participated in, and it was unlikely he would live to make another decision this stupid. 

But he trusted her, despite everything. If he had known when he met her a week ago that he would be willing to sacrifice his life for this mission... it wouldn't have even crossed his mind. He had been in the rebellion too long to do a stupid thing like listen to your feelings instead of reason, but wasn't that what he was doing right now? There was something about Jyn that made him want to throw caution to the winds. A certain fire within her that made him feel hopeful again, like maybe it wasn't a lost cause. She made him feel like maybe, just maybe, life could be worth living again someday.

"You have been staring at Sergeant Erso for thirty seconds now," said K-2. "That is twenty-four seconds longer than is considered the appropriate social norm."

Cassian jumped and snapped his gaze away from Jyn. "Shut up," he told the droid.

"You have been acting irrationally lately," said K-2. "Perhaps Sergeant Erso is a bad influence on you."

Cassian turned his back on the droid and began gathering blasters into his arms so he could pass them out to the rebels. "If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it."

"In the unlikely chance that we survive this mission," said K-2, clanking over next to Cassian, "I think it is a good idea for you to have a conversation with Sergeant Erso. I can personally orchestrate the meet - "

"Thank you, that's enough," said Cassian. He made a mental note to update K-2's software with some notes on tactfulness, if he ever became more technologically savvy. Maybe Bodhi Rook could help, if there were some similarities between a droid and a ship. 

He was glad K-2 refrained from pestering him more about it, because Jyn was suddenly standing next to him, her own blaster in hand. "We need to pass out weapons," he said, gesturing to the box of them. 

Without another word Jyn began distributing them to the mass of rebels, who were clustered around the ship awaiting further instruction. Cassian would have liked to say something about liking her little motivational talk just there, but he didn't know how to phrase it without sounding like an idiot. He knew as well as the next person the power of a good speech, and Jyn had delivered a killer one, made even better by the fact that he knew it was genuine. No speech-writers had been involved - she truly believed in what she was saying.

So he joined her in arming the rebels, making sure everyone had a blaster. It would be their only line of defense against the stormtroopers, and it didn't seem like nearly enough, but it was all they had.

"Everyone down in the base of the ship," ordered Jyn once they were finished. Bodhi Rook joined her in shepherding the rebels through the small opening into the belly of the ship, where the engine was housed. "Hurry up," he said, glancing over his shoulder and sounding agitated. "I don't know how long we have before they come in for inspection."

The clanging of feet going down the ladder echoed through the ship, so loud that all of Scarif could probably hear it. Cassian came to wait by Jyn and Bodhi. The pilot was shifting from foot to foot, apparently even more anxious than the rest of them. Understandable, given that he was responsible for the first stage of the plan. If the stormtroopers didn't find him believable, the alarm would be sounded before they could even step off the ship. Cassian wasn't concerned, though; he had faith in Bodhi.

"Come on, your turn," said Jyn, pushing Cassian's side to get him closer to the ladder. He almost grabbed her hand reflexively, but by the grace of the stars he managed to stop himself. 

Instead he pulled away from her and joined the mob of people in the engine room. The ladder was narrow and the engine room claustrophobic, and he found himself hoping they wouldn't have to spend much time in here. He didn't much care for enclosed spaces; there weren't enough escape routes. Jyn was following him down the ladder and he was so distracted by this that he missed a rung. He cursed, catching himself before he could fall. 

He stepped away from the ladder into the crowd of bodies all around him. Jyn leapt nimbly onto the ground after him. She was instantly pressed into his side, purely by necessity, but Cassian didn't mind. Her presence was suffocating in a good way, like she was a black hole in reverse, filling everyone around her with the same passion that she carried. He wanted nothing more than to put his arm around her and pull her closer, to protect her even though she didn't need protecting. 

He looked up. Bodhi was watching them anxiously, making sure everyone was well hidden away. 

Then the mechanical crackling of the radio made everyone snap to attention. "Rogue One, please ready your ship for inspection."

Bodhi gulped and said, "You ready?" 

Jyn gave him the affirmative. Bodhi rushed away, and for a minute everyone listened to the sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the ship.

The sound of breathing filled the engine room, perpetuated by the shuffling of people who were trying desperately to be quiet but still wanted to fidget around. Cassian's own pulse was a little elevated, although whether this was from the looming danger or Jyn's proximity he didn't know. Maybe a little of both.

They waited, huddled together, in a sort of state of suspended animation. It was all in Bodhi's hands now. Cassian was cornered, stuck against the wall, with Jyn right next to him. K-2SO was clanking around upstairs, probably annoying the living daylights out of Bodhi, but an Imperial droid was good to have around. It would increase credibility.

Then Jyn said his name, so softly he could barely hear her. He turned his head to look at her, meeting her intent gaze. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he said. 

She bit her lip, and he could see all sorts of internal struggle going on in her head. "For believing in me," she said simply. "I didn't think anyone... I've been on my own for so long."

He knew it was true. She had been running for so long, just like him, only she had been on her own the whole time. She looked so deeply grateful to have people supporting her now, but like she couldn't quite believe it.

"We're a team, aren't we?" he asked. He wanted to tell her more, tell her how she made him feel like the world might be worth saving, how when he was around her he almost felt hopeful again. She was incandescent, she was the spark that the rebellion needed. And he found himself wondering what he would do without her in his life. 

She gave a quick almost-smile, like it wasn't the answer she was expecting. 

Cassian slid his hand into hers, entwining their fingers together. Jyn jumped a little but squeezed his hand in return. Her hand was tiny, fingers so delicate he was amazed they could fire a blaster with such accuracy. It was hard to believe a person that small could beat up stormtroopers and lead a rebellion, but there was proof standing right next to him. Now he was positive his heart was racing not from the mission but because of Jyn. Maybe it wasn't perfect timing, but under the circumstances, there was never going to be a perfect time. 

Then he heard the ship's door engage and Jyn gripped his hand tighter, preparing to fight.


	4. I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter up sooner, but the start of term interfered. :}
> 
> Chapter title is a quote from basically every Star Wars character... but I'm thinking Han Solo in particular.

Bodhi Rook had never been this nervous in his life. 

And that was saying something, coming from the man who had recently been captured by Saw Gerrera and tortured by a large tentacled monster intent on sucking the life out of him. 

(It had nearly succeeded, too. Those had been the most terrifying minutes of his life... and he tried not to think about just how close he'd come to giving up. To letting the tentacled thing finish its job.)

He sat at the control panel, hands still braced on the wheel although he had turned off the engine a full five minutes ago. The stolen Empire ship was awaiting inspection, and all he could do for the moment was sit there. At this point there was nothing he could do except stick to the plan... which was agonizing for a pilot who liked to have control over the situation.

The rest of the crew was piled into the lower compartment of the ship, squashed too tightly together for comfort. He had helped them stash themselves away and made sure that they were well concealed. When a stormtrooper came onto the ship, they wouldn't be able to see the clown car full of rebels until it was too late. For the stormtroopers, anyway. 

From his seat in the cockpit, he had a clear view of the hangar, which didn't help his mental state any. He could picture the massive door sliding open and hundreds of stormtroopers spilling from its depths, ready to destroy him and his friends. Of course this was irrational, because they had done nothing to make the Empire suspicious of them. They had infiltrated Scarif with one of the Empire's own ships. To the best of the supervisor's knowledge, they were just another band of stormtroopers awaiting inspection of the ship. Bodhi had done nothing to raise suspicion.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that this was not a mission meant to succeed. It was the truth. Jyn had admitted to as much in her motivational talk meant to spur them into action. Her talk had worked; he knew what was at stake, and he was willing to fight for the Rebel Alliance. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if they would all make it off Scarif again. Or any of them at all.

Bodhi drummed his fingers on the controls, fighting the urge to look behind him at his fellow rebels. He wouldn't be able to see them anyway; they were secreted away in the floor. He wanted reassurance from someone who wasn't buzzing with nervous energy. Someone unfazable, like Jyn Erso or Captain Andor. They had been born with nerves of steel, or perhaps born without the ability to be nervous at all. What wouldn't he give for that ability? Nothing seemed to faze them. 

Bodhi was not a coward, and he didn't shy away from taking risks. This had gotten him into trouble when he was younger. He had endured more than his fair share of near-death experiences in flight school, so much that he was sometimes astounded they had let him graduate. In the long run it had served him well, though, because it had led to him becoming the best pilot in the Empire. Even then they had recognized the mark of a skilled pilot. Sometimes you didn't need a careful pilot so much as you needed someone who would try any stunt thrown their way, and Bodhi was up for the challenge. That was how he ended up in the clutches of Saw Gerrera in the first place. It was never going to be a friendly visit, exactly, but it was supposed to be a peaceful one. He was simply delivering a message from Galen Erso.

Evidently Saw Gerrera had never heard the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger."

(And it had been a good message, too. A message that would make all the difference to the Rebel Alliance - the knowledge that the Death Star was not infallible.)

Bodhi jumped. The strap of his helmet had brushed against his neck, and for a minute he was shackled to the chair again with that tentacled thing crawling all over him. He swatted the strap away, then shuddered. He told himself he was fine, he was safe, but he couldn't shake the feeling of those slippery feelers along his skin, the way it had tried to penetrate his thoughts. 

He looked again to the building where the stormtroopers waited. What was taking them so long? They had probably been found out and they would all be dead in the next couple of minutes. 

He glanced back toward his hidden comrades before he caught himself. Could you get any more obvious? Cassian never should have recruited him on this mission - he was too jumpy to be of any use to anyone. 

Despite all this, it wasn't the imminent danger that made Bodhi's blood run cold. It was the fact that he had never planned to come back. When he left the Empire, it was for good; he had run away with the intention of putting light years between himself and the people he had once called allies. He didn't want to associate with them anymore - why else would he leave? Being here, so close to the people he had once worked for, went against every one of his instincts. He wanted nothing more than to run. He was sure that if any of them caught sight of him, they would instantly recognize him as what he was: a traitor. Maybe even a coward.

Then at last, at long last, the door to the hangar was creaking open, rising upward as fast as the tide. Bodhi sucked in a breath and tightened his grip on the control panel. No matter his reservations, he was going to do his job, and he was going to do it well. It was the least he could do to atone for his past mistakes. Even if he died, that was okay, because he was going down with honor. 

(That said, he still very much wanted to make it out alive. Even for the sole reason of seeing the appreciation of everyone from the Rebel Alliance.)

Four stormtroopers came marching from within the depths of the hangar, uniforms shining in the daylight and reflecting beams of sunlight into Bodhi's eyes. He squinted and put a hand up to shield them. The stormtroopers proceeded along the dirt ground to the stolen Imperial ship. This was Bodhi's cue, but he found himself frozen and unable to move.

He peeled his hands from the control panel and pushed himself to his feet. Then he steeled himself and went to the door to open it, pressing his thumb onto the button with a sense of finality. The door slid open soundlessly, filling the ship with warm island air and causing him to blink at the sudden wind. It was a beautiful place to house a battle station, and he couldn't help but be filled with a little jealousy that he hadn't been stationed at a battle station nearly this nice. (Maybe he wouldn't have defected if this was the case.)

What was he supposed to say? Who talked first?

He released the ramp and watched it descend onto the ground, then strolled down in what he hoped was a casual manner. "Clear for inspection," he announced.

The stormtrooper in front nodded at him, and they proceeded onto the ship. Bodhi followed them up, echoing their footfalls. He saw the ship the way they must have: empty of everything but essentials and a few packing crates. Inspection dictated that they had to make a careful search of the entire ship, which meant that it would only be a few moments until...

Sure enough, just as one of the stormtroopers bent to examine the engine room, a shot rang through the ship. He toppled down, hitting every rung on the ladder and making entirely more noise than whoever shot him had probably anticipated. The three remaining stormtroopers pulled their weapons, and one of them turned to Bodhi, who braced himself for the impact of a bullet. He himself was unarmed to avoid raising suspicion. 

Then from behind the stormtrooper, he saw Jyn clambering out of the engine room, gun aloft. She screamed at Bodhi to duck. He did so, clasping his hands behind his head as if that would help shield him better, and was met with the sound of a bullet meeting flesh. The stormtrooper clunked to the ground of the ship. 

The rest of the rebels were pouring out of the engine room. The two remaining stormtroopers looked taken aback at the sheer quantity of them, although you really couldn't tell with the masks. They were downed before they could even fight back, and the rebels streamed over their bodies and down the ramp of the Imperial ship. It all happened so quickly Bodhi barely had time to feel fear. It certainly happened too fast for any of the stormtroopers to sound the alarm, which was the plan all along. Bodhi felt a sense of accomplishment in helping them achieve at least that much.

"Wait!" he called, dashing after the group of rebels. He found Jyn and Cassian at the head of the group, to nobody's surprise. He grabbed Cassian's elbow to get his attention. 

The captain turned on him. "Good work, pilot," he said, but Bodhi couldn't let himself get distracted by the praise.

"What can I do?" he asked. Now that he had done his job, he found himself wondering if there was something more he could do, some other way he could help.

"Stay here," said Cassian, "and make sure the ship stays intact." His lips were pressed into a line of determination, and Bodhi knew nothing would be able to dissuade the captain when he adopted that expression. 

"Good work, Bodhi," said Jyn. She wore the same look of determination. "Stay on the radio, all right? We'll comm you if anything arises."

Then she turned and ran off into the cloud of dust that the rebels had kicked up. Bodhi watched them go, then trudged up the ramp and closed the door behind him. It would probably be the most stressful waiting period he had ever experienced.


	5. A Little Short for a Stormtrooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All characters and events are property of Lucasfilm and Star Wars - I own nothing. :}
> 
> Quote is from Princess Leia, Ep IV. Cause, you know, Jyn is supposed to be short. :P
> 
> Sorry I didn't get this chapter up sooner - there's been a lot going on. I'm trying to speed through the battle of Scarif so we can get to a new storyline. The next few chapters will be where we save the Rogue One cast from the jaws of death. :)

Jyn's legs were beginning to cramp from running. She was no stranger to the feeling, so she pushed through and ignored it. The armor she had stolen felt stiff and restrictive; she much preferred the worn, utilitarian fabric of her everyday uniform. It felt like she was smothering inside the shiny black armor - like a beetle waiting to be squashed under the Empire's boot. The helmet left only a few inches of a gap for her to see out of, and having a restricted field of vision made her jumpy. How was she supposed to flee stormtroopers in this?

Of course, if all went according to plan, she wouldn't need to do any fleeing. The reason she was wearing stolen armor was to avoid detection. That was the same reason Cassian was sporting a new uniform himself. They had attacked a few Empire soldiers after leaving the ship and taken their uniforms. After so many years on the run, and especially after spending those months in the Empire's prison, Jyn wasn't overly concerned with modesty, but changing in front of Cassian did give her slight pause. She had turned away and performed the task quickly before they hit the road again. 

And if she felt awkward in her uniform, Cassian didn't seem to be suffering from the same issue. It should be illegal for someone to look so good in a uniform.

She cursed herself for noticing, and even more when she felt herself blushing ever so slightly. Of all the times to check out your comrade, this was probably one of the worst.

"In here," said Cassian, and unlocked a door with a swipe of his stolen key. He ducked through the opening, K-2 clattering in after him. The droid was far from discreet, but at least he was an Imperial droid and wouldn't get them caught...if he didn't speak, anyway. Jyn followed. 

"We need a map," she said, rounding to face the two of them. "K-2, you know what you have to do."

The droid looked reluctant, although naturally his expression didn't change in the slightest. "Perhaps we could find another way?" 

"You know that's not the case," said Cassian. His patience was wearing thin. 

It was easy to subdue a droid. Or rather, it was easy when you had another droid to smash into it and extract its knowledge. Jyn pried off the plate at the back of the Imperial droid's skull and held it up so K-2 could perform the required surgery. All that was necessary was to attach a wire between the two droids and allow K-2 to soak up the information. The lights of his eyes brightened and dimmed a few times, making him look a little dizzy. 

"You okay?" asked Jyn.

K-2 emitted a mechanical noise and straightened up. "I am fine, Jyn Erso. How kind of you to be concerned for my safety."

"I'm just worried about the map," said Jyn without a pause. "You have it, right?"

Cassian let out a laugh. K-2 swiveled his head to stare down the captain. "Well, you do have it, right K?"

"We go that way." The droid turned and started clanking down the hall, without waiting to see if his companions would follow. Jyn supposed even droids got annoyed sometimes, and she had been pushing his buttons. Literally.

K-2 led them to a dark hallway that echoed with their footsteps, making his way over to a control panel. A press of a button opened a door, sliding out of view into the charcoal gray wall with a hiss. "The plans are through there," he said. "I will give you directions to find them."

Jyn thought for a minute, wanting to do something to make sure K-2 knew she was only messing with him, not really hating him. He had done so much for them, after all, and sure, they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but it was never too late to make amends. If she had learned anything in her life, it was that you could never count on having a tomorrow. You couldn't depend on a future to make things right, it was now or never. 

"Hey, K," she said, and extended a blaster to him. 

The droid took it. "What is this for?"

"You wanted one," she said. "Well, here it is. You'll need it, right? If you're going to keep all those stormtroopers away from us." She felt an odd tightness in her chest at the thought of K-2 being faced with dozens of stormtroopers, virtually defenseless. 

The droid looked at her, and she wished she could tell what he was thinking, what all those circuits in his programming were firing. 

"Your behavior, Jyn Erso, is continually surprising," he said, and his hand closed around the blaster.

"For you and me both," said Jyn, giving him a half smile. 

Cassian had already started to jog down the hallway that led to the data file room. Jyn followed suit. They emerged in a brightly lit room with a glass window that offered a perfect view of a data tower, stretching down into an abyss. She couldn't make out the bottom. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but squashed it down and made a beeline for the control panel. 

The sinking feeling in her stomach was confirmed when the radio suddenly went dead.

"K-2?" Cassian shook the radio, thwacked it on the control panel a couple times in a stunning display of technology savviness. "Answer!"

Jyn bit her lip. She had a terrible feeling that K-2 had run into some kind of trouble...wasn't that why she had left him the blaster? Still, what match was one blaster for a whole mob of stormtroopers?

"Cassian," she said, not entirely sure what she was going to say, only that she wanted to try and comfort him somehow. What could you say when your companion was probably in mortal danger and there was nothing you could do about it? 

Then the door slid shut with a loud clang, causing Jyn to nearly jump out of her skin. They whirled around, looking at the plank of metal separating them from K-2. 

Cassian cursed, strode to the radio and began typing in commands. "K-2, pick up! What's happening out there? We still need the file name!"

Jyn knew what was happening; of course Cassian did too, he was just in denial. K-2 had shut the door because he was trying to save them, because he wanted to protect them. It made the tightness in her chest worse with an emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time. Between the captain and the droid, it was getting harder and harder to maintain an apathetic state, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to. But when you cared about someone, all it caused was pain. 

She wanted to help K-2, wanted more than anything to open the door and go rescue him. But there was the simple matter that they couldn't unlock the door from this side, and the other issue that they needed to get the plans. That was the priority. That was the entire reason they were on Scarif. No matter the sacrifices that had to be made, they needed the Death Star plans.

So she steeled herself. She forced herself to put up a wall around the emotion that had started building inside her. Now wasn't the time to cry over a lost friend. There would be time for that later - or there wouldn't be. 

She used the handles to move the locator up a few rungs. It hovered over a row of plans, waiting for her to tell it which one to choose. The names flashed by, and she had a wave of panic when she realized they were all code names. Of course they were. Did she think there would be a neon yellow label proclaiming "DEATH STAR PLANS FOR THE REBELS"? 

Then her eyes welled up with the tears she had been trying to surpress as one name jumped out at her: Stardust. 

That was the one. Of course it was. After all these years, her father was still watching out for her.

She pressed her lips together, trying not to fall apart right here and right now. "Cassian," she said. 

The captain was still shouting into the radio, unaware of what was happening around him. She couldn't fault him for that. Hadn't she done exactly the same thing with her father, refusing to leave his side even after she'd watched the life drain out of him?

"Cassian." Louder.

He whipped around, and at that same moment the power went out. The lights flickered and died, and an emergency generator hummed to life, filling the room with murky light. The control panel shuddered and went still. 

"Oh no," breathed Jyn, dread coursing through her. Without the handles to grab the plan, there was only one way to get to it, and that was...

"We're climbing," she said.


End file.
